Publisher: Spry Fox, The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild
Developer: Spry Fox
Nintendo Switch Review
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh operating systems
The days are getting brighter and the nights feel longer but this hasn't stopped me from cosying down on my sofa with a laid back game I can chill out and play for 30 mins to an hour a day, there is no obligations from me, I'm not made to feel guilty, I can just play it at my own pace. Cozy Grove was sent to me several times by my friends who knew I would love it and they were right, when I started the game up created my character and was soon taken to a very dull island, I made my way up a little slope to find a camp site set out for me. Before I did anything I ran around the island a little to get a feel of it and then proceeded to talk to the little fire called Flamey at my campsite.
With the help of on screen hints I found myself immersed in this island which had a distinct lack of colour, it soon become clear that I would have to go up to the floating random ghosts and complete tasks for them for my island to regain any of its missing colour. This was simple enough and took me no time at all to help a few of the ghosts who had made themselves visible to me. I was faced with take from not only the ghosts but also Flamey who requires spirit logs to fuel them, the best way to get these is to complete the tasks given to us. When you return to the game each day you will find it colourless in certain spots once again, to get it back you help the ghost residents but the game is designed to make you eventually light up the island with different torches and lanterns you can either buy, be rewarded with or randomly fine, I've began the task of lighting up the main areas of my island for now.
Everything you collect has a purpose and can be used now and then or later in the game, fishing is a great way to up your money and unlock bigger storage which helps a lot when it comes to storing things for a later date, upgrade the store and your campsite. Collecting materials leads to growing any trees or plants with materials we can sell or gift, the main material I struggle to find is iron ore, it doesn't spawn as often as leaf piles and digging spots so it's important to hold on to what you collect instead of selling it straight away like I did. I found that it was very easy to over collect and when I would return the next day to complete tasks I would already have the materials for them ending my daily session faster than expected so that's when I decided to slow down and take it all in my stride.
My island started to expand the more I completed tasks, I would discover new parts and unlock new ghosts to befriend and help and altogether there are 17 to unlock all of them very bright eyed and willing to get to know you and help you in return for helping them. We meet each bear in a certain order as we unlock and progress through the game whilst also giving Flamey more spirit logs, only two of the bears are merchants, Mr Kit who is a permanent resident you can upgrade their store to unlock more materials to buy as well as clothes, then there is Pandam who visits the island every wednesday so be sure not to miss his visit!
Each ghost dwellers has a purpose and their very own personalities, I love the fact that they're different bears that are twice the size of my character, it made me feel like a little slice of the island working hard to bring light and colour back. The added touch of being able to befriend the imps who usually run away is great as they give me materials or help me complete a task I have been given, you can gift them food and other materials and they eventually love you, the same goes for the pets you can collect and place around your island. I somehow made a lot of my Twitter followers interested in Cozy Grove and they started to message and tweet me to tell me how much they're enjoying it, for a single player game to bring players together like that it just shows the Indie developers Spry Fox are doing something right!
The art style and layout of the game reminds me somewhat of Don't Starve which is a lot more stressful than Cozy Grove and one I know I wouldn't enjoy as much due to having to try and survive, where as Cozy Grove lets me go at my own pace. Real life time aspect gives the player a lot more freedom than other games, but I do fear some players may get bored quicker due to wanting more tasks and a faster paced games which misses the whole point of Cozy Grove altogether. One of the biggest downfalls is the black and white aspect of the game making it hard for players to see what's on screen and where to find materials, I myself don't have this issue but it does alienate those who do.
There were a few glitches and freezing occured now and then but since then I have not had anymore of these issues, I've gotten used to how the game works and what needs to be done on a daily basis, I couldn't recommend this game more especially with the chilled out soundtrack that fits perfectly with Cozy Grove. If you're looking for a binge all day kind of game this will be the opposite, yes you have to play every day and complete tasks as well as time travel but once you go back to the correct date the game registers it as a day you've already finished so you end up finding that you're months and months ahead of others because of travelling forward in time. It's definitely not a game for players who are impatient and can't wait to get ahead and more for those who like to take their time. Check out Leeksplays thoughts on Cozy Grove!!
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